Gay marriage backing will cost you seats, Prime Minister told

DAVID Cameron was warned yesterday against ignoring the views of his party’s traditional backers.

The warning came after a poll suggested his support for gay marriage could cost the Tories between eight and 30 seats in a general election.

The survey was for the Coalition For Marriage, which campaigns against same-sex couples marrying on equal terms to heterosexuals.

Opposition was very strong among people who voted Tory in 2010 but are intending to support other parties.

Thirty-two per cent of this group said plans to allow gay marriage made them less likely to vote Conservative.

Opposition to gay marriage is also strong among older voters, who are more likely than young people to turn out on polling day. Andrew Hawkins, chairman of ComRes polling company, which carried out the research, said the Conservatives must win back disaffected 2010 voters in order to succeed at an election.

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Mr Cameron was reported to be under pressure from his own MPs to ditch the gay marriage initiative, after an “avalanche” of protests from Tory voters.

But Number 10 sources insisted the PM remained fully committed to the proposal, along with Tory traditionalist Iain Duncan Smith.

A separate YouGov poll yesterday found Tory support in general had fallen to just 29 per cent – its lowest for eight years – with Labour on 40 and the Lib Dems on 11, just one ahead of Ukip.